This Time Around
by daytimedrama
Summary: Danny/Lindsay. AU. No Spoilers. Fluffy follow up one shot to my long story ‘Sierra’. This time around Danny, Lindsay and Sierra welcome their new addition.


Title: This Time Around  
Author: daytimedrama  
Rating: T  
Pairing: Danny/Lindsay  
Content Warning: Fluff/Romance  
Summary: Fluffy follow up one shot to 'Sierra'. Danny, Lindsay and Sierra welcome a new addition.

A/N: Wow sorry guys it's been a really long time since I posted a Sierra fic. Hopefully this is okay, I'm a little rusty. 'Sierra' followup oneshot. This is post 'Changing Names' but before 'Moving, Again.

* * *

"Hi Lynn? Yeah it's me. She's getting closer, I think you should probably come down here soon. Don is going to come pick you guys up right now."

"How is my girl doing?" Lynn asked.

"She's doing great. She's amazing. Is Sierra being good for you?" I had left her in the capable hands of Lindsay's parents pushing close to 32 hours ago. Sierra had been making Welcome Home Baby signs, and had plastered about 30 of them around the nursery.

"Of course. Always the precocious angel. Anxious to meet her brother though."

"I am too. Okay we'll see you soon."

…

"Don is going to go now and pick up your parents and Sierra. And Ma is still stuck at JFK, but will get here as soon as they let the planes take off."

She closed her eyes and nodded and I watched as her lips curled into a small tired smile.

"Can I get you anything? Ice chips?" I asked as I brushed the hair off of her forehead.

"No I don't need anything. Well maybe the jaws of life," she replied wryly.

"It'll be over soon. Then we get to meet our son."

"He's really taking his time," she said, still keeping her eyes closed.

"He's reluctant to leave his comfortable home," I answered. She looked exhausted, but I watched as she rubbed her belly lovingly.

"He mustn't be yours then," her lips quirked. "You dropped everything to come here." She opened her eyes and met mine. "I'm not sure I ever thanked you for that."

"You never have to," I answered sincerely.

"I'm really happy you're here, Dan."

"Of course, I'd be here. I just wish I could do more for you." I said.

"It's just-- its better this time."

"Well this time you know what to expect."

"It's cause you are here with me," she said as she reached for my hand. "Last time I was just really sad. Sad that you were missing it. Mad that you were missing it. But mostly I was just missing you."

"I don't know what to say here, Montana."

…

_I was miserable. I was short to everyone. I was surprised that Mac hadn't fired me yet, or at least sat me down to talk about my attitude. I knew he knew. I knew that he knew the reason I was like this. The reason I felt like I could never be happy again. He probably only couldn't fire me cause I had become a workhorse, and he couldn't confront me because of his inane policy for staying out of people's personal lives. I didn't hear him walk in. But I was ready. My job was holding everything else together. So I was prepared, I was thorough. I didn't want to leave anything to rest because at rest was when I had time to think. _

"_Hey, Mac I just got the results I was just going to call Stella."_

"_You can give them to me. I'm on the case now, Stella is taking a few days off."_

"_Oh is she okay?"_

"_Yeah she's fine, she is going to see Lin—."_

_He stopped before he said her name. But I knew exactly where Stella went, and I knew exactly why. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I thought I might be having a heart attack. It would probably serve me right. I would die alone and miserable on the floor of Mac's office. _

"_Oh.." I said. I braved a look at Mac and all I saw was pity. Pity for my stupid life. Pity for my cowardice. Pity because he had no place to tell me that I needed to be the one on the plane. _

"_Danny—" he started._

_I held up my hand to stop him and thrust the papers into his hands. I just needed some air. I needed to find a place to breathe. I jogged into the locker room and pried open my locker. My hands reached into the top shelf. I hastily pushed aside my keys, deodorant, spare glasses, until I felt the small piece of paper. My breathing became shallow. I was struck by how perfect the image was, and how wrong it was that I was here. But she could never forgive me now. _

_I let my fingers linger over the light shape, imagining her face, her smile like mine, her skin like Lindsay's. My daughter. Stella had let it slip, not so casually, and then a week after I found the ultrasound picture on my desk. Stella still had faith that I would finally step up. But with every passing day, her gaze changed from imploring, to disappointment, now she could no longer look me in the eye._

_I placed the picture back in my locker. Tucked away out of sight, but hardly out of my mind, and never out of my heart. _

…

"You don't have to say anything. It's all been said. You came to us and it's all I ever wanted."

"But—"

"No, Danny. You are here. And I'm so happy. I'd be even happier if he'd make an appearance soon, but he'll come. Maybe he is like you after all and you always come through for me." She shut her eyes tightly as pain washed through her body. She gripped tightly to my hand to ride through the contraction. When the pain subsided, with an exhausted twinkle in her eye, she added, "Better late than never."

…

"Are you ready to meet your brother, Sierra?" I asked.

"Yep! I've been waiting foreeeverrr!" She held my hand and skipped next to me. I felt like skipping too.

"You'll see he is worth the wait."

"Is Dominic really little, Daddy?"

"Pretty small."

"Does he look like me?"

"Yeah, I think he does." I said. He has blue eyes right now, and same color hair as you.

"Is he sleeping?"

"You're Momma was feeding him, so he'll probably sleep after that."

"Mommy said babies sleep a lot. Is that true?"

"Yep."

"When will he start to talk?"

"Not for awhile yet."

I opened the door to Lindsay's room, and wasn't surprised when my breath hitched. Lindsay held our son. She was cradling him gently, looking down at him, whispering. I was too far away to hear what she was saying.

"Cool." Sierra's amazed whisper awoke me from my thoughts.

Lindsay smiled at Sierra and then caught my eye. She clambered up the bed to get a better look at her brother. Lindsay, Sierra and the baby. It was still hard to believe I had gotten here, to this point.

"Sierra say hi to your brother," Lindsay said softly.

"Hi, baby. It's me, Sierra."

Definitely better late than never.


End file.
